


Gay little Tommy crush momence?

by 1000101



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, T rating is just for a couple swears..., They/Themry, Tommy and Benry live together, i kinda wrote Tommy and Benry as qpps in this but you can read their relationship however you want, i spell their name 'Benry' in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1000101/pseuds/1000101
Summary: "Oh my god, Benry, I can't believe I said that. Pepsi? Pepsi??? And he had this wheezy laugh, like, he thought it was silly but not in a mean way-""Yeah, Pepsi is pretty funny, bro.""-and his laugh was so cute but then we made Eye Contact-""Ew.""-and I didn't know what to do so I just started eating my nuggets like a dumbass-""Oh yeah, thanks for bringing me some nuggies back, by the way."
Relationships: Benrey & Tommy Coolatta, Tommy Coolatta/Darnold
Comments: 32
Kudos: 90





	1. McDonald's and Megamind

**Author's Note:**

> hi this my first fic posted here in like 3 years and my second fic posted ever so. hope you like it!

"Benry," Tommy lies on the floor with his arms stretched out, "I don't know what to do!"

Benry lies down, too, with their head next to Tommy's but their body going the opposite direction. "This about Darnold?"

"Mhm."

They pat their stomach a few times while they think. "Hmm… Hm hm hm… You haven't told him?"

"No, I don't- I'm scared that he won't like me back and it'll make everything awkward and maybe he won't even wanna be friends anymore and he'll stop talking to me and-"

"Tommy." Benry reaches up to put their hands on Tommy's cheeks. They miss at first and gently slap his forehead before finding his cheeks and squishing them a little. "You're thinking too hard, man. Darnold is like- he's like the nicest guy ever, and you guys are fuckin'... super close good best friends. No way he'd stop being friends just 'cause you got a crush on him."

Tommy takes Benry's hands and moves them to cover his eyes. He stays quiet for a moment and then sighs. "He _is_ the nicest guy ever, huh?"

Benry laughs. "Gay little Tommy? Gay little Tommy crush momence? Gay little Tommy wants to go… hold hands and shit? With Mister Doctor Pepper? Hmm?"

"Oh, you-" Tommy huffs and lifts his hands off of Benry's. He slaps his hands back down, meaning to hit Benry's hands, but they pick up on the plan too quickly and slip their hands away just in time for Tommy to slap himself in the face.

There's a beat of silence before the two of them bust out laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to Darnold."

"Sweet."

"Thank you, Benry."

"For getting you to slap some sense into yourself?"

Tommy snorts. "Yeah."

"Yeah, no prob, bob."

"You're gonna- I'm gonna get you back for that, though."

"I'd like to see you try."

Tommy sits up suddenly and Benry scrambles up from the floor, immediately running scared toward their room. Tommy chuckles to himself.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, you bastard!!!"

* * *

Tommy pats his thighs excitedly while he speaks, "And then, she said-! Oh! That's- I shouldn't say that, it's a spoiler! Um, but- but then! Actually, that's a spoiler, too. Uh." He pauses and looks across the table at Darnold, who's sitting on the other side with his hands clasped together politely.

Darnold smiles back at him. "Maybe we could watch it together some time. Then you won't have to worry about spoiling it for me?"

"Yes!" Tommy feels his face heat up. "I mean, that would be- Yeah! Yes. Yes, I would- it would be nice. To watch it with you."

"Tommy, are you alright? You seem kinda On Edge today."

"I'm fine! I just… Did they call my name for the order? I think they called my name for the order. I'll be right back!" Tommy stands up, shaking the table slightly on accident, and walks up to the McDonald's counter. They had not, in fact, called his name for the order.

He looks back toward their table, but quickly turns away again when he sees Darnold's confused expression pointed toward him. He bounces on his feet until his order is ready, thanks the worker who hands over the tray of food, and carries it back to the table.

"Here we go!"

"Thank you, Tommy!"

"No prob… bob…"

Darnold lets out a quiet laugh and picks out his food from the tray. "Bob? Never had _that_ used as a nickname for me before."

"Nickname for you?"

"Yeah. When I was a kid, my friends would call me 'Darn' sometimes, though." He shrugs and pops a fry into his mouth.

Tommy struggles to contain a laugh.

Darnold smirks. "What. What is it? Let me hear it."

"Oh, _darn_!" Tommy says a little too loud and covers his mouth, trying so hard not to laugh.

Darnold grins. "Yes?"

The tipping point. Tommy can hold it back no longer. He doubles over with laughter in the McDonald's booth.

Darnold laughs, too. "Yeah, yeah, not the best nickname, huh?"

When Tommy can finally breathe again, he straightens back up and replies, "No! It's a really good nickname! But, uh, I don't think I could ever call you it- call you that without laughing."

"Well, you think you can come up with something better?"

Tommy knows he has a dopey little smile on his face, but he's having too much fun to worry at the moment.

"Hmm. Darns? No. What about with- using your _last_ name? Pepper… Peps? Peppy? Pepsi- Oh, no that one won't work at _all_!"

Darnold wheezes at Tommy's horrified reaction. "If you called me Pepsi, _I_ would be the one that couldn't stop laughing."

"Okay, Dr. Pepsi."

"Just mixing drinks like that! Despicable!"

"Aren't we already a mix of drinks, though? Dr. Pepper, Coolatta…" (Could he make it any more obvious…?)

"I suppose we are."

Their eyes meet, and, oh! Tommy remembers why he was nervous now! He looks away and shoves a couple of nuggets into his mouth as an excuse for his lack of response. Darnold follows his lead and starts on his own box of nuggets.

It would almost be a peaceful quiet if Tommy didn't feel like his heart would beat out if his chest.

Tommy finishes first, sucks his cup of soda dry, and goes for a refill, shaking the table again on his way out of the booth. He fills the cup half way with Dr. Pepper, half with Pepsi.

* * *

"Oh my god, Benry, I can't believe I said that. Pepsi? Pepsi??? And he had this wheezy laugh, like, he thought it was silly but not in a mean way-"

"Yeah, Pepsi is pretty funny, bro."

"-and his laugh was so cute but then we made Eye Contact-"

"Ew."

"-and I didn't know what to do so I just started eating my nuggets like a dumbass-"

"Oh yeah, thanks for bringing me some nuggies back, by the way."

"-and- Yeah, of course! And then he agreed to come here to watch the movie with me later! After all that, he still agreed to hang out with me!"

"Well, duh. You're like, super fun to be around and junk."

"You're fun to be around, too, uh, and junk, Benry!"

"Aww, you're gonna make me blush."

“I didn’t actually talk to him about… about my- how I- about the Crush, though.”

“He’s coming over even without you confessing?”

“Yeah, he'll be over in a few hours. I don't think I'm emotionally prepared for this."

"Do you want me to give you two some Privacy?"

"Stop wiggling your eyebrows at me like that! But, you can watch the movie with us if you want! Just, if… You know…"

"Just be ready to skedaddle if you both start makin' uh... heart eyes at each other?"

"I don't know if-! That probably won't- That's not-"

"Tommy."

"Okay, yeah, maybe. Maybe!"

"Gotcha."

"Okay."

* * *

Tommy grabs Benry's arm. "Benry."

"Yeah."

"The doorbell just rang."

"Sure did. You gonna go see who it is?"

Tommy squeezes Benry's arm slightly. "It's- you know who it is!"

"Yeah, you shouldn't keep him waiting."

"Right! Right." Tommy lets go of Benry's arm and steps up to the door. He inhales, unlocks the door, turns the doorknob, pulls the door open, looks out, and-

"Hi, Tommy!" God his smile is so pretty and he looks so handsome. Tommy could just stand here and look at him for hours. "Um, are ya… gonna let me in?"

"Oh! Yes!" He steps to the side and holds the door open for Darnold. "Welcome to our home!"

"Yo, Dr. Pepsi, welcome to our epic gamer pad!" Benry calls from the couch. They're holding a bowl of popcorn - when did they make that? - and pulling the movie up on the TV. They pat the empty space next to them. "Take a sit, get comfy, you're about to see the greatest movie ever."

Darnold smiles at Tommy. "You told them about the Pepsi thing?"

Tommy's face heats up again. "Yeah, I- it was- I just… It was fun. Our Mcdonald's, um, trip. So I told them about it."

“I had fun, too!” Darnold goes to sit on the couch, the space Benry had been patting. “Hey, Benry, you should come to McDonald’s with us some time.”

Tommy takes a step toward the couch.

“Nah, I wouldn’t wanna intrude on your McDonald’s Dates-”

Tommy freezes. Darnold sits up straighter.

“-because that’s like, your _Thing_ , you know? Maybe all of us can go to Wendy’s instead.” Benry looks over the couch at Tommy with a bastardly little smirk on their face. Ohh Tommy’s gonna get them for this.

Darnold clears his throat. “Oh, um. Yeah, we could go to Wendy’s some time instead I guess.”

He didn’t correct Benry calling them ‘Dates.’ Did that mean anything? That doesn’t mean anything right? No. Definitely not.

“Tomfoolery, you gonna stand there all day? Or are we gonna watch some Megamind?”

“You call him Tomfoolery?”

“Sometimes.”

Darnold grins. “Yeah, Tomfoolery, c’mon and sit.”

Tommy takes a deep breath. “Okay, Dr. Pepsi and _Benrey_.”

“Oh, Benrey with two E’s? Not cool, man.”

“Wh- how can you tell it was with two E’s if he said it out loud?”

“Huh?”

Yeah, okay. He can do this. Tommy sits beside Darnold and smiles at him, while Benry hits play on the movie.


	2. Cartoons and Cuddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what if we watched invader zim together and kissed during the episode where zim steals the kids' organs haha jk... unless? 👀  
> (jk no kissing happens in this chapter im sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i woke up this morning and typed this all in one sitting, i have sodashipping brainrot 😬

"Darnold, can I _please_ take a picture of this?"

"For blackmail purposes?"

"Yes and also because you are both my, uh, like, my two favorite people and I want more pictures of you together."

Darnold looks over at Benry, who had fallen asleep leaning against his arm during the movie. "Yeah, you can take a picture. I don't mind."

Tommy stands up from the couch and pulls his phone out of his pocket, opening the camera and pointing it toward Benry, who is out like a light and definitely drooling, and Darnold, who sticks his tongue out and holds up a peace sign with his free hand. Cute. If Tommy takes a moment to get a good and sneaky look at Darnold's face through the phone screen before taking the picture, well, he'll never tell.

"Can you send that to me, please, Tommy?"

"For blackmail purposes?"

Darnold tries to stay still while he laughs, not wanting to wake Benry up. "Yeah, just in case."

Tommy nods. "I'm sending it Right Now."

Darnold's phone vibrates in his pocket, and he takes it out to check the picture before putting it away again. "Perfect, thank you!"

"No prob… Dr. Pepsi."

The two grin at each other. Wow, does Tommy love when Darnold looks at him like this. He has to look away so that he doesn't melt into a puddle.

"So… you- did you like the movie?"

"Oh, it was so good! Thank you for showing it to me! It was such an interesting story, with a villain being the protagonist? I think you would like Invader Zim. It's a cartoon - its main character is a villain like that, too. Doesn't get the redemption arc that Megamind does, but... M- uh, maybe we could watch that together, too, some time. Anyways, I also love the little details about Megamind mispronouncing words, and-"

Tommy sits back down while Darnold rambles. He liked the movie? Enough to talk about it like this and suggest another movie - well, cartoon, technically - to watch? Together?

Tommy watches Darnold wave his free hand around while he talks. Then he starts waving the other hand around, as well, getting lost in his thoughts and forgetting about the sleeping Benry. The previously sleeping Benry. The Benry who yawns and pats Darnold's arm as a silent 'thank you for being my pillow' before wandering off with the empty popcorn bowl.

Darnold keeps talking. "-and Minion's dramatic scene at the end? I think Minion was my favorite character, actually." He pauses to laugh a little and looks over at Tommy, who smiles back at him. 

This seems to shock Darnold out of his Movie Analysis Mode. He puts a hand on the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Oh god, that was a lot, huh? Sorry."

"No! It wasn't- it was nice! I like hearing you talk, and, um, I'm glad you liked the movie. You could talk to me for fuh- for forever if you want." He didn't mean to say that last part out loud, but the fond smile on Darnold's face is worth the slip up.

"You're sweet."

Oh. One sentence KO. That's gonna play on loop in Tommy's head for _weeks_ , he can tell already. Darnold called him _sweet_!

Benry clears their throat, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Oh no, Tommy had definitely been making heart eyes at Darnold, which meant Benry was gonna - "I'm gonna go catch some Z's," - give them 'privacy,' as they had called it. "Thanks for coming over, Darnold, it was uh, good to see you. Don't let Tommy stay up all night." They wave and head off to their room, giving Tommy a wink and two thumbs up.

"G'night, Benry!" Darnold calls after them.

Then it's just the two of them. Just.. Just two bros. Chillin' on a sofa. Barely a foot apart, 'cause they _are_ gay. 

Until they are more than a foot apart, because Darnold stands up. "It _is_ pretty late, maybe I should head out."

"You can stay! Longer, I mean. If you want. I normally stay up pretty late, so it's not- not a problem. You can even," Tommy gay courage momence, "spend the night? Unless you wanna go home! Either way…"

"Spend the night?"

"Yeah, since it's already pretty, um, pretty dark out."

"Oh, that'd be really nice! Thank you, Tommy."

"No prob, bob. Er- No prob, Dr. Pepsi."

Darnold laughs and sits back down. Less than a foot apart, 'cause, well, You Know. "What do you wanna do now, then, Dr. Tomfoolery?"

"Oh, uh… What about that cartoon you mentioned?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'll pull it up right now! I think you're gonna love it."

* * *

Tommy wakes up to the sound of Benry humming and shuffling around in the kitchen. He cracks an eye open and- oh no. Oh no. The pillow he thought he had been cuddling was, in fact, one Dr. Darnold Pepper. One Dr. Darnold Pepper who seems to also be waking up. Tommy squeezes his eyes shut again. Time to pretend to be unconscious!

Darnold shifts slightly before going completely still. Tommy waits to be pushed away, but feels the arm over his shoulder - oh my god, Darnold's arm was over his shoulder - tighten its hold on him. Just barely. And suddenly there's a hand in his hair, fingers combing through it.

He hears Benry's footsteps enter the room, and Darnold's hand freezes.

"Hey, uhh, I made some breakfast if you guys want some. Whenever Tommy… wakes up." The way they said that, Tommy knows they can tell he's awake.

Darnold doesn't respond.

"Yo, don't worry about your little cuddle session. I'm not homie-phobic or nothin'. Love wins."

Tommy wishes he was actually unconscious.

"U-uh. Thank you, Benry. Um, for breakfast."

"No prob, Dr. Pepsi. You might wanna wake Tommy up soon, though, so it, uh- so the food doesn't get cold."

"Alright."

Benry walks back to their room and Darnold takes a deep breath, taking his hand out of Tommy's hair to gently shake his shoulder. "Psst. Tommy."

Well, shit. Now he has to fake waking up. Darnold shakes his shoulder again and he groans, burying his face against Darnold's chest. If he's faking it, might as well steal some extra Cuddle Contact.

He feels Darnold shake underneath him from quiet laughter. "C'mon, Tommy. Benry made us breakfast."

"Five more minutes," he mumbles, muffled by Darnold's shirt.

"Tomfooleryyy, you're just gonna fall back asleep!" Darnold shakes him again and Tommy giggles.

"Fine, fine, okay, okay." Tommy lifts his head and smiles at Darnold. He thought this would be more awkward, but if Darnold wasn't upset over it, then Tommy was happy to wake up in his arms. Oh. Tommy's cheeks burn, and he quickly gets up off of Darnold, holding out a hand to help him up but pointedly looking away.

Darnold takes his hand and stumbles forward a little when Tommy pulls him up, grabbing his shoulder with his other hand to keep balance. "Whoops, legs still haven't woken up yet, I guess."

Wow, they're standing so close. Tommy's free hand hovers at Darnold's waist. They're almost in position to dance together. Wouldn't that be nice…

Darnold lets go of his shoulder and steps toward the kitchen, tugging Tommy along by his hand. His hand that Darnold didn't let go of. Tommy follows.

"..."

"Darnold? You okay?"

"Look. At Benry's breakfast."

Tommy glances at the table and snorts. There are candles lit at the center of the table, and two plates, both with pop-tarts on them. Two wine glasses full of milk, with Black Mesa Silly Straws. And, did Benry set out _silverware_? The whole fork, knife, and spoon trio. For pop-tarts.

Darnold doubles over with laughter, Tommy following soon after.

"How rom- how- how classy," he manages to wheeze out between laughs.

Darnold wipes tears out of his eyes and goes to pull a chair out for Tommy. He finally lets go of his hand to gesture at the chair. "Your seat, sir."

Tommy grins at him and sits down. "Why, thank you sir."

"My pleasure, sir." Darnold sits at the other seat. "Hmm…" He picks up his glass of milk with a pinky out. "Cheers?"

Tommy grabs his own glass, pinky out. "Cheers!"

They clink their glasses together and take a sip, Tommy nearly spilling his while trying not to laugh.

Benry really outdid themself. Maybe he wouldn't need to use the blackmail photo against them after all.

"Um, Tommy?"

Tommy looks up to see Darnold now holding up a napkin. Written in sharpie is a note from Benry, reading: "hope you guys enjoy your date. its no mcdonalds but hope you have fun anyways <3"

Yeah, no, Tommy is definitely using the blackmail photo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every chapter i'm just gonna have them watch something else together. next up is danger and eggs. im kidding but like you should watch danger and eggs its really good.
> 
> will tommy ever confess! what will he do with that photo of sleepy benry! will benry ever stop giving very obvious signals to tommy when darnold can clearly see them! stay tuned to find out.
> 
> lmk if you have feedback or suggestions ! <3


	3. Pets and Potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Darnold."
> 
> "Huh?"
> 
> "Are you telling me you turned yourself into a catboy trying to make allergy medicine for me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> darnold has a cat named mr pibb

"Thank you for walking me home, Tommy."

Tommy rocks on his feet, standing outside of Darnold's door with his hands behind his back. "Yeah, no problem, Darnold."

"Not Dr. Pepsi?"

"I don't- wouldn't want it to get old too fast."

Darnold chuckles and holds the door open. "Would you… like to come in for a bit? You can say hi to Mr. Pibb if you want."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all! I mean, you walked all the way here with me. Might as well rest for a bit before you head back."

Tommy grins. "Thank you, Darnold! You're sweeter than- than a gallon of tea!" He steps inside and immediately starts _pspsps_ -ing for Mr. Pibb. The cat hops up onto the nearby table.

"Mr. Pibb!" Tommy sits down on the floor next to the table. "Hi, cutie, I've missed you!" The cat stretches to press his head against Tommy's arm, trying to pet himself. Tommy giggles and gives the cat a quick kiss on the head before giving him the pets he so desires.

Darnold smiles and goes through his normal morning routine that was missed out on at Tommy and Benry's place, ending with refilling Mr. Pibb's food bowl. This, unfortunately, takes the cat's attention away from Tommy, who had made it all the way to the belly scratching level of pets. Mr. Pibb used to be afraid of Tommy, him being tall and excitable and unable to ever get all of the dog fur off his clothes, but he had visited enough times now for Mr. Pibb to get used to him it seems.

Not enough times for Tommy to get used to _Mr. Pibb_ , though. Tommy sneezes into his elbow.

"Oh, gesundheit!" Darnold puts a hand on his shoulder. "Tommy, your allergies."

Tommy sniffles and grins up at him. "Worth it."

"One second, I- I made an anti-allergy potion after the last time. I'll go get it. Don't touch your face!" Darnold pats Tommy's shoulder and walks off.

Darnold made an anti-allergy potion for him? Well, it probably wasn't just for him, plenty of people could use a potion like that. But… After the last time? When Tommy had rubbed his eyes without thinking, after petting Mr. Pibb, and had to be walked home because his eyes stung too badly to keep open? Embarrassing.

Tommy sneezes again and hears a faint "gesundheit!" from another room.

And the fact that he immediately ran to pet the cat again on his very next visit? Sure, Tommy's smart, but he's also an idiot. Maybe, if he's lucky, Darnold is morosexual.

"Hey, I found it." Darnold steps back into the room, holding a small corked test tube with orange liquid inside, and sits down on the floor next to Tommy. "Drink the whole thing."

Tommy takes the offered potion and reads the label on it: _Anti Allergy For Tommy - Attempt #12 - Success_. "Attempt twelve?"

"Yeah, some of the earlier tries had some… weird side effects. One of them gave me cat ears for about two whole days when I tested it," Darnold chuckles.

"Darnold."

"Huh?"

"Are you telling me you turned yourself into a catboy trying to make allergy medicine for me?"

Darnold looks away and laughs nervously. "Yeah, I, uh- I guess I did a little bit?"

"Is that why you said you were sick and couldn't make it to McDonald's last week?"

"...Yes."

"Oh my god… Did you take _pictures_?"

"Maybe."

"Please show me. Please please please, I'll do anything!"

Darnold rolls his eyes and laughs. "Just drink the potion already, and I'll show you."

Tommy pulls the cork out and drinks the potion.

"Give it approximately three minutes and you should have zero allergy symptoms."

"Thank you, Darnold."

"No prob, _bob_."

Darnold smirks at him and Tommy laughs. "C'mon, show me your- show me the ears. The suspense is killing me."

"Okay, okay!" Darnold pulls out his phone and scrolls through his pictures. "Found them! Here." He holds his phone out for Tommy to see. "I took a couple, so you can swipe to see 'em all if you want."

The first picture is centered on the ears, black to match Darnold's hair. The picture cuts off just under his eyes, but Tommy can tell Darnold was laughing when he took it by the way his eyes are scrunched up.

Tommy swipes. The next picture is of Darnold winking and making a peace sign. It has a filter over it so that he also has a little cat nose over his own, and whiskers.

Swipe. Darnold and Mr. Pibb. This one has a glittery caption reading "matchies."

Swipe. Oh, this one's a video! Darnold tugs an ear to one side, then the other. He lets go and the ears twitch on their own. Darnold's voice comes through the speakers. 

"Testing log. Anti-allergy experiment for Tom- for Dr. Coolatta. Attempt number seven. Cat ears! I can't say I was expecting this side effect, but it makes sense, I suppose. 

"The ears seem to move on their own, or- well more like I seem to control them subconsciously. They respond to emotions like regular cat behavior. I can also feel them, though I can't explain… suddenly feeling something when there used to be nothing there."

In the video, Darnold rubs his thumb over one of the ears. "The texture is different from my hair, but the color matches. Not sure if the color is a coincidence? I'm making a note to try this formula again at a later date, to see if the ears are the same each time. Um… End of log."

The camera pulls away slightly, and Tommy can hear Darnold quietly mumble, "I wonder if Tommy would be allergic to me." Then, the video cuts off.

Darnold lets out a nervous little laugh. "Oh, I didn't know it picked up that last part."

"Darnold. Darnold, can you _please_ send me those?"

"Even the video?"

"Yes! You're so- it's- I like hearing you talk about your- your work!"

Darnold smiles and looks away. "Yeah, I can send them to you. But not for blackmail purposes!"

"Of course not! ...But can I still show Benry later?"

"As long as they also don't use them for blackmail purposes."

Tommy laughs. "I don't think that'd make very good blackmail material, you look cute- um, I mean- you look- the pictures are good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Darnold smiles. "Thank you, Tommy."

"No prob, Dr. Pepsi."

He laughs and nudges Tommy's arm with his elbow. "I wonder what _you'd_ look like with cat ears."

"Sign me up as your assistant next time you test the cat ears and we can find out!"

"Ooh, I'm a bit worried that you will actually be allergic to the ears. What if you become allergic to _yourself_!"

"Then I guess D- catboy Darnold will have to come to my rescue!" Tommy does a dramatic swooning pose, and leans against Darnold, who laughs and wraps an arm around him to hold him up. "Save me with your magic allergy potion, Dr. Catboy Pepper!"

"Of course, Dr. Catboy Coolatta! I'll save you!"

"It's too late. Tell Sunkist… I love her…" Tommy lies limp against Darnold, sticking his tongue out. He can't keep the silly smile off of his face.

"Dr. Catboy Coolatta, no! I'll just have to… to make a necromancy potion!"

Tommy peeks an eye open. "You can _do_ that?"

"I technically already have, but it only works on insects."

"What the fuck, for real? Can you show me?"

"You want to kill and resurrect bugs for fun?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, okay, let's do it."

* * *

Tommy slams open the door to Benry and his house, the doorknob hitting the adjacent wall and making the crack there worse. Oh, shit, they'll probably have to replace that wall again soon…

Whatever! It's still okay for now and Tommy has more important things to worry about.

"Benry!"

They yell back a "yo!" from farther inside.

"Benry, get out here right- immediately right now! I have catboy Darnold pictures!"

They poke their head out of their room. "Don't think I heard that one right, uh, you have _what_?"

"Catboy. Darnold. Pictures."

"No way."

Tommy holds up his phone, open to the first picture showing off Darnold's cat ears. Benry is immediately standing in front of him and grabs the phone out of his hands, squinting at the picture.

"Holy shit, catboy Darnold real?"

"Catboy Darnold real."

"But he was Just Here, I saw him, and he had, like, zero (0) cat ears. Just regular human ears."

Tommy takes his phone back. "This is from about a week ago! He was making a potion for me - he made a potion because of my allergies last time, how nice is that? - and one of the not- uh- one of the unfinished versions gave him the ears for a couple days!"

"Woah… So didja tell Catboy about your little crush?"

"..."

"Oh, are you not into catboys?"

"That's not it!"

"So you _are_ into catboys?"

"Benry."

"Just one catboy?"

"..."

"Tommy and Darnold, sittin' in a tree. Because one of them’s a catboy. K-I-S-"

Tommy slaps his hand over Benry's mouth. 

Benry licks his hand and runs back to their room cackling when Tommy pulls his hand away. Little shit.

He sighs and sits on the couch, looking through the pictures again. Hmm… He sets the picture of Darnold and Mr. Pibb together as Darnold's contact photo.

Cute…

He misses Darnold already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catboy benry this, catboy benry that. what about catboy Darnold????? /j
> 
> im gonna be honest i dont know how this happened i just let my hands Go and they made catboy darnold appear it was out of my control. [and i doodled the pictures](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/709623537891147846/755635595606491255/catboy_darnold.png)
> 
> also sunkist is hypoallergenic bc shes the perfect dog


	4. Weddings and Wheels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looks up again, and, wow they’re really close. Tommy can see reflections of the colorful lights on Darnold’s face. Gosh, he’s so… pretty… Tommy wants to just… 
> 
> 😏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for like... minor injury this chapter? tommy gets a black eye but he's fine lsdkjgds
> 
> and not a day goes by that i dont think about [this picture](https://twitter.com/vykinq/status/1301300124828815361), i want to print it out and hang it on my wall. this chapter isnt necessarily a result of that drawing but i did look at it and feel emotions multiple times while writing this so

"Benry, can I come in?"

"Yeah, bro, door's unlocked."

Tommy pushes the door open and steps into Benny's room. They're sitting at their desk, playing a game on their computer. Tommy walks up to Benry's bed, and… practically throws himself face first onto it. It bounces a little at Tommy's weight before he settles. "Benry, I'm in hell."

"Nah, this is my bedroom."

Tommy turns to glare at them, but they're facing the computer and don't see.

"But what's up? What brings ya to, uhh, to ol' Benry's hell bedroom?" They pause their game and spin their chair around to look at Tommy, pulling their headphones down around their neck.

Tommy says nothing.

"Darnold?  _ Again _ ? Aren't you going out with him later? Just talk to him, dude."

"I did- I  _ have _ been talking to him! Just not about…" Tommy sighs and rolls over onto his back. He grabs one of Benry's pillows and covers his face with it.

Benry grins. "Just not about how you wanna Hold Hands, and Kiss, and… and Hold Hands?"

He tugs the pillow up enough to squint at them. "You said 'Hold Hands' twice."

"...Whuh? No I didn't."

"Yeah you did.”

“Proof?”

“The third paragraph above this one, look."

"Oh, uhh… I can't read."

Tommy just looks at them. They look back. Tommy cracks a smile. "Okay, yeah, about wanting to hold hands and kiss and hold hands."

"Woah! You can't just talk about holding hands, that's like, not safe for work, and this is a T rated fic."

"You said it first!"

"I told you, I can't read, man."

Tommy groans and pulls the pillow back over his face. Benry laughs and climbs onto the bed next to him, sitting with their legs resting over his stomach.

"I think you should just propose to Darnold so that I can be the Flower Person at your wedding."

"No. I already told Gordon I'd- that I'd let Joshua be flower boy if I ever got married."

Benry takes the pillow off of Tommy's face and sets it down beside them. They look absolutely devastated, but there's a tiny quirk to their lips that gives them away. "Damn, you'd let my friend from GameStop be a flower boy but not  _ me _ ?"

Tommy laughs. "Not  _ that _ Joshua. Mr. Freeman's  _ son _ Joshua."

"What the fuck? Feetman has a son?"

"Benry, you've seen him multiple times. You let him sit on your shoulders whenever you see him, and you've sweet voiced him to sleep at least three times."

"..."

"You came home after spending the day with Gordon and Joshua one time and talked about how cute Joshua was for five hours straight. I don't even think you inhaled  _ once _ the entire time."

"..."

"Benry."

"What? I wasn't listening. I was too busy thinking about how cute Gordon's kid is."

Tommy rolls his eyes. "Yeah, he's really cute. Cute enough to be the flower boy at my wed- my theoretical wedding."

"Okay, you got me there. Uh… What about ring bears?"

"Ring bearer? I, um, I already told Sunkist she could do that…"

"What about the person who, like, walks you down the aisle or whatever?"

"Bubby called dibs on that one."

"The person who stands there and reads to you and then tells you to kiss?"

"Dr. Coomer is ordained…"

"Well, what am I supposed to do, then? Jump out of the cake?"

"You can if you want?"

"Sick."

Tommy laughs. "I asked you before, and you said you wanted to be the person who says- the person who objects to the wedding."

"Can I do that  _ and _ jump out of the cake?"

"Sure."

"When's the wedding, then?"

"I don't- there isn't one! Not yet- I mean, maybe not ever!"

"No, you have to have one. It's the rules. You have to get married so I can jump out of the cake now."

"Darnold and I aren't even dating!"

"What about your Skate Date plans today? And all of those McDonald's trips?"

"Those are- they aren't dates, they're- we've just been hanging out as friends!"

"Friends who cuddle on the couch and play with each other's hair and come crying to Benry about wanting to hold hands and-"

Benry is cut off when a pillow is thrown into their face. They still for a moment, before picking up the pillow and squeezing it, imitating a gun cocking sound with their mouth.  "So  _ that's _ the game you wanna play, huh?"

Oh no.

* * *

"Tommy, your eye! What happened?" Darnold has a hand on Tommy's cheek as soon as the door opens and he sees the black eye.

"We, uh… We had a pillow fight that got a little- very intense."

Benry pokes their head over the top of the couch. "Tommy won, but only because I felt sorry for him."

Darnold rubs his thumb gently over Tommy's cheek. "Well, do you feel alright? Do we need to cancel the skate plans?"

"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry! We can still go! Unless you don't want to?"

"No!" Darnold drops his hand from Tommy's cheek to his shoulder. "I mean- I  _ do _ still want to go. But only if you're sure you're okay."

Tommy rests his own hand on top of Darnold's and smiles. He hopes it comes off as reassuring, but the black eye probably isn't helping. "I'm sure I'm okay. Promise."

Darnold smiles back. "Alright. Then, yes, I'm still down for skating."

Tommy lets go of Darnold's hand and feels him squeeze his shoulder once before he lets go as well. Tommy looks over to the couch. "Last chance to come with us, Benry!"

"Nah, you two uhh… lovebirds have fun."

He turns back to Darnold. Their eyes meet for a split second, and Darnold looks away, laughing nervously. They both say their goodbyes to Benry, and Tommy shuts the door behind them as they head off toward the skating rink.

They stay close together while they walk, arms bumping into each other occasionally. Sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose.

“So, you go skating a lot, Tommy?”

“Oh, yeah, I go like every week.”

“I bet you’re really good at it then?”

“Ah, well,” Tommy shrugs, “I dunno, I guess I’m pretty good, but…”

“I  _ hope _ you’re good! You’re gonna have to teach me! I’ve never gone roller skating before.”

“Never?!”

Darnold shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Oh, well- then- yeah I can teach you! I’m- I- I’m glad I get to be there for your first, um, first time skating!”

“I’m glad you’ll be there, too.”

Tommy doesn’t know how Darnold does it. How he manages to say a single sentence that makes Tommy feel like his heart hadn’t been beating until that very moment. The way he says it seems like it has some kind of… extra weight to it. Like Darnold was talking about more than just this little skating trip.

Tommy, of course, doesn’t mention this at all. He simply smiles at him. Darnold smiles back. Tommy walks face first into the door of the skating rink.

Oh. Oopsies.

“Tommy!” Darnold covers his mouth with his hands and laughs a little. “Are you okay?”

Tommy rubs his cheek and looks away. “Yeah, just- just, uhh… Not paying attention.”

“I can  _ see _ that.” Darnold reaches a hand up to Tommy’s jaw, pushing lightly so that Tommy turns his head back towards him and he can check for any injury. His cheek is a little red, but aside from that and the black eye, Tommy seems fine. Darnold gently pinches his cheek. 

He laughs and grabs Darnold’s hand to pull it away from his cheek.

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

Tommy nods. “Right as rain!”

“Alright. I guess we should head inside then?”

“Yeah.” Tommy lets go of Darnold’s hand to open the door and hold it open for him.

Darnold chuckles and steps inside. “Thank you, Tommy.”

“No prob… Dr. Pepsi.”

Darnold grins. “A true gentleman.”

“A gentleman, huh?” Tommy holds his arm out. “Well then, sir, let- allow me to Escort you to go get our skates.”

Darnold laughs and takes hold of his arm. “Oh, please do, good sir!”

Tommy leads Darnold along, but he has to let go of his arm when they swap out their shoes for skates and get laced up.

“Ready?”

Darnold nods. “Ready.”

Tommy pushes off toward the skating floor and turns to watch Darnold, who takes a single step before his feet start to slide out from under him. Tommy rushes back and grabs Darnold’s arms before he falls.

“Okay, maybe not ready.”

Tommy slides his hands down Darnold’s arms to hold onto his hands. “I’ve got you, c’mon.”

Darnold squeezes Tommy’s hands and takes another wobbly step. And another. And another. Until they’ve both made it onto the actual rink.

“Okay, I’m gonna pull you, at first.” Tommy skates backwards slowly, tugging Darnold along. He holds on tight to Tommy’s hands and looks down at their feet, trying to stay balanced. They make it about halfway around the rink before Darnold feels confident enough to look back up at Tommy.

“You’re doing great, Darnold! Do you wanna try taking steps now? Just pretend like you’re walking, but- but I’ll keep pulling you.”

“O-okay.” Darnold looks back down at his feet and takes a step that ends up more like a stomp. He takes another, lighter step, and starts to tip forward, but Tommy moves a hand to his waist and keeps him steady. Darnold grabs onto his shoulder.

He looks up again, and, wow they’re really close. Tommy can see reflections of the colorful lights on Darnold’s face. Gosh, he’s so… pretty… Tommy wants to just… 

He shakes his head. Focus, Tommy!

“Um! Try the- uh, the steps again. You almost had it!”

Darnold nods and tries again. He manages to take a few good steps, wobbles a little, takes a few more good steps, starts adding a bit of push to his steps, and before long, Darnold doesn’t even need to keep a death grip on Tommy to stop himself from falling. He still doesn’t let go, though. Tommy doesn’t mention how warm that makes him feel.

“You’re doing so good, Darnold! You’re a natural!”

“You think so?”

“Yeah! You’ll be skating laps around me in no time.”

“Well, that seems like no fun. I’d rather skate  _ with _ you!”

Tommy smiles. “I’d rather skate with you, too.”

“So, does that mean you’re having fun? Even though you have to help me?”

“Of course! I’m having  _ so _ much fun getting to do this with you! But… are  _ you _ having fun? I know I love skating, but, um, I understand if you don’t like it.”

“Tommy, I  _ always _ have fun when we hang out. I just like being with you, it doesn’t matter what we’re doing.”

Oh. Oh god Tommy sure is feeling emotions right now.

“I- Me too! The- I feel the same way, I mean. You’re- uh- yeah, it’s nice.”

Darnold smiles at him and squeezes his hand. His hand that he’s still holding. Darnold is still holding his hand, and still has a hand on his shoulder, and still hasn’t pulled away from Tommy’s hand on his waist, and… Tommy is feeling some  _ very big _ emotions right now.

Fuck it.

“Can I- Could we- Would it be okay if, um, if I- uh-” Tommy takes a deep breath. “I really wanna kiss you.”

Darnold blinks and stares wide-eyed at him.

And Tommy immediately backpedals, “If you want, I mean. We don’t- I- I didn’t-”

Darnold moves the hand on his shoulder up to his cheek. “Tommy. Please kiss me.”

Very extremely big emotions. “Not- maybe we should move first.”

Darnold laughs. “Probably.”

Tommy pulls him to the side, off of the skating floor. “Are you sure you really want to…” Tommy bites his lip. “You’re really sure?”

“Mhm. I’m really really sure.”

Tommy takes a shaky breath and leans in. Darnold meets him halfway. Their lips press together and Tommy feels like his heart is exploding in his chest. He starts to pull away, and Darnold stands on his tippy toes to chase the kiss for as long as possible. They finally separate, and Tommy can’t keep the sappy grin off his face.

Darnold smiles back.

“Thanks for coming here with me.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“I guess we should… get back to skating.”

“Guess so.”

“Maybe, um, one more kiss before we go back?”

Darnold pulls Tommy down into another kiss, laughing against his lips at the way he melts. Maybe Benry was right about this being a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made it 3 chapters w/o them kissing but i just couldnt stop myself this time. the idea of skate dates make me feel SOME KINDA WAY


	5. Dogs and Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Notes for the Chapter:**

> it has been a while since the last chapter bc i do NOT know how to write idk how y'all do this lmao but i do still wanna keep writing this so here we go!

"BENRY HOLY FUCK"

Benry, who had been lying on the couch and holding their phone up over their face, probably playing a game, drops the phone right onto their nose. Sunkist jolts up from her spot half sitting next to the couch and half lying on top of Benry.

She barks and excitedly runs over to Tommy to tackle him and lick his face. He laughs and hugs her tight. "I missed you too, Sunkist!"

Benry sits up and rubs their nose. "Yo, what's with the surprise entrance? Somethin' happen?"

"Yes! But, what- Sunkist is back! Did my, um… my dad? Come by?"

"Yeah, uh, Mr. Coolatta dropped her off like an hour ago. Said they were done with tests for now."

"For now?"

Benry nods.

Tommy lets go of Sunkist to give her a look over. "How are you feeling, Sunkist?"

She barks and wags her tail.

"Aww, I'm happy you're back, too. But, did the testing go okay? My dad was nice to you?"

Another bark.

“Good.” Tommy gives her a little kiss on top of her head. “I’ll give you a bunch of pets to make up for all the time we missed!”

Sunkist licks his nose and bounces back over to the couch, pushing Benry’s legs out of the way with her head and sitting down. Benry sits up and crosses their legs, leaving room in the middle for Tommy, who sits down between the two.

“And was… was my dad nice to  _ you _ , Benry?”

They shrug. “Eh, vaguely scared and disgusted by me as usual, but I think he was trying to be polite about it.”

Tommy grimaces and looks down at the floor. “Sorry. You already know he- that he doesn’t really… Like you, I guess. But, I told him to at least be friendly.”

“Hey.” Benry puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, and he looks back up at them. “The distaste is mutual. Doesn’t bother me if he wants to get away from me as fast as possible.”

Tommy chuckles. “Well, that- that is his loss, ‘cause you’re a, uh, a delight.”

“A delight?! How dare you, I am legally diagnosed Fucked Up And Evil.”

“Yeah, but you’re a fucked up and evil delight.”

Sunkist barks, and Tommy points at her. “See? Sunkist agrees!”

Benry laughs and playfully pushes at Tommy’s arm. “Gay ass.”

“It’s true!”

“It’s true that I’m a delight? Or that you’re a gay ass.”

Tommy snorts. “Yes.”

“Well! On the subject of, uh, you being a gay ass.” Benry leans forward and laces their fingers together, resting their chin on them with a smug face. “What was the ‘holy fuck’ about? What happened with Darnold? Y’all do a little kissy? Some smoochies? Y’all getting married now?”

Tommy’s cheeks heat up. “No! I mean, yes- no, not- We aren’t getting married, but…”

“But?”

“But… we may have… kissed.”

Benry grins. “Nice.”

Tommy smiles and rocks back and forth in his seat. “The date… date? I think it was a date. It went- it was really nice.”

“Tell me about it?”

“Okay, so first - you’ll love this - I walked right- smack into the door.”

* * *

“Hey! Just wanted to call and say I had a lotta fun today, and, make sure you’re doing okay, with your eye and stuff.”

Tommy, lying on his stomach on his bed, kicks his feet and shoves his face into his pillow to giggle. He lifts his head back up to talk into the phone, “Yeah, I’m doing okay! Sunkist got to come back home today!"

"Oh, that's great! Make sure to tell her I said hi! And give her a bunch of treats!"

"I will! Oh and, I had a lotta fun today, too. We should go skating again some time. I-if you want.”

“I’d love to!”

“You’re really good at it.”

“Only ‘cause you were there to help me.”

“Psh, I’m sure you would’ve learned just as fast on your own.”

“I’m sure I would have a broken nose if i tried to learn on my own.” Darnold chuckles. 

"To go with my black eye! Matchies." That gets a full laugh out of Darnold, and Tommy grins.

“I can't believe you got a black eye from a pillow fight."

"Me and Benry take our pillow fights Very Seriously."

"Well, take your health more seriously, instead! I worry…"

"There's- you don't have to worry! I'm not completely- There are some benefits of being, um, related to my dad. My eye will be all better in no time!"

"It still had to hurt, though, right?"

"Yeah, but… I'm a tough cookie!"

Darnold laughs. "The toughest cookie I know. And the sweetest."

"Ah-" Tommy blushes and buries his face into his pillow again.

"Sorry, I didn't- um- was that weird to say?"

Tommy quickly sits up and holds his phone close. "No! It wasn't weird, I just… It was cu-cute."

"Oh! Oh."

"I mean-" Tommy takes a deep breath. "You're really cute, Darnold."

The line is quiet, just long enough for Tommy to start worrying that he said something wrong, before Darnold finally responds, "You're gonna kill me, Tommy." He chuckles a little.

Tommy laughs. "I would never! Wouldn't be able to ki- um, to- to- to kiss… you… then." Was that too far? He doesn't even know if today counted as a date, much less if Darnold wanted to kiss him again.

"What, you wouldn't kiss a ghost?" Darnold asks with a cheeky tone to his voice.

Tommy breathes a sigh of relief. Darnold wasn't upset about it. "Wouldn't I just go through you? How would that work?"

"I guess you'll just have to kiss Ghost Me and find out."

"I guess I will!"

The two of them laugh and fall into a comfortable silence. Tommy rolls over onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. ...Now he can't stop thinking about kissing Darnold again. Is that something he can just  _ do _ now? Kiss Darnold?

Darnold clears his throat, breaking the silence. "So… are we… Are we dating? Like, boyfriends? Or…"

"Do you want to be boyfriends?"

"Yes," Darnold answers with no hesitation. Ah.

"Then- then yeah. I think we're boyfriends."

They fall into another silence. Tommy breaks it this time. "Hey, Darnold?" When Darnold hums in reply, Tommy says, "I love you."

"I love you too, Tommy."

The phone call goes on for another hour before Darnold starts getting sleepy, and they reluctantly say their goodbyes. Tommy leans over the edge of his bed and ruffles Sunkist's fur. "Sunkist, did you hear! Me and Darnold are boyfriends now!"

Sunkist looks up at him and yawns.

"No we  _ weren't _ already boyfriends."

Sunkist just looks at him.

"Okay, point taken." Tommy rolls his eyes, but can't stop himself from grinning. "Darnold says hi to you by the way. And he told me to give you a bunch of treats."

Sunkist perks up and wags her tail.

"He's gonna spoil you rotten! What am I gonna do?"

She spins in a circle before walking over to her box of treats and sitting down next to it.

"Well, I see who your favorite parent is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realized that in my head sunkist had a reason for not being present this whole time but i dont think i ever explained it anywhere so sunkist comes home! idk if i'll get into it rly at all in this fic but im partial to the "gman kind of abandons tommy at black mesa and boomer mostly raise him" idea and so i think tommy made sunkist while gman Wasnt There and so gman is curious about her n stuff. i mean i love when ppl write gman as like a rly good dad too i just enjoy projecting bad parent disease on ppl... BUT uhh maybe ill do some boomer + tommy interaction one chapter bc i just want them to be his parents :pleading:
> 
> and like if anyone WANTS me to get into the boomer adoption background lore i can. i have like PAGES of notes about the headcanon lmao i'd make a separate fic for it but the notes are just random scenes/ideas and not anything i think i could make into a coherent story...


	6. Skirts and Suspenders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We should probably leave, don't wanna be late."
> 
> "But I wanna kiss you again. :("
> 
> Darnold laughs and pulls Tommy's hands away from his face, only to lace their fingers together. "You'll just have to kiss me _after_ the date."

"So how do I look?" Tommy spins around, skirt twirling after him. He has a date with Darnold today - an actual, official date - and by golly he is gonna put real effort into his outfit this time! Skirt, button up shirt, boots, knee high socks with a dog pattern on them. The perfect date attire.

Benry looks him over. "Fancy."

Sunkist barks in agreement.

"Good fancy? Or… or Too Much fancy?"

"Perfect fancy."

Tommy grins and pulls Benry into a hug. They chuckle, muffled against Tommy's chest, and hug him back. Benry's hugs are always so soft, Tommy can't help but melt into it. Plus, the pressure helps calm his nerves a little. He, of course, gives Sunkist a hug, too.

"Thank you guys."

Benry pats down Tommy's shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles and wiping off as much of the dog fur as they can. "No prob, bob. Darnold's gonna see you and be like, uh, 'wow hot damn, my boyfriend is the prettiest person ever,' and then you'll be like 'oh, Darnold! Swoon!'" At this, Benry pretends to swoon, falling against Tommy, who barely catches them.

"I don't sound like that!"

Benry looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. "You kinda do."

Tommy takes a step back, letting Benry fall to the floor. Sunkist immediately jumps to their "rescue," licking their face while she wags her tail. They try to give Tommy an offended look, but can't hold back a laugh that he joins in on. He holds out a hand for Benry to grab, and hauls them back up.

Tommy flicks Benry's nose and fake pouts at them. "Don't be fucking rude!"

"I'm just speakin' facts, man. You got it  _ bad _ ."

"...Maybe so."

" _ Maybe _ ?"

"Oh, hush!" Tommy laughs. "You like him, too."

"Well, yeah,  _ obviously _ . Darnold is the second coolest dude I know."

"Second? Wha- who's the first?"

"Joshua."

"Gordon's kid, Joshua? Or your friend, Josh-"

"Gordon has a  _ kid _ ?!"

Tommy huffs out a laugh, and Benry grins. "Yeah, Gordon's Joshie is number one Cool Guy."

"What number am  _ I _ on your cool guy list?"

"Hmm…" Benry mutters to themself, counting on their fingers as they go, "Joshie, Darnold, Dr. Coomer, Sunkist-"

Sunkist barks.

Benry gives her head scratches as they continue, "uh, that one frog I found behind the house-"

"Wait, I'm not even in the five- top five?!"

"Sorry, bro, I don't decide who gets the- uh, the Cool Guy Genes."

Tommy crosses his arms. "I have cool guy genes!"

"What, you think you're cooler than anyone I just listed?"

Hmm. That frog Benry found behind the house  _ was _ pretty cool… He sighs in defeat. "No, your list is rock solid."

Benry puts a hand - the one not currently occupied petting Sunkist - on his shoulder. “It’s okay, you're still my best bro even if your nerd vibes stop you from being top five, uh… top five Cool."

"Now you are just blatantly bullying me," Tommy laughs.

"Gotta bully you extra hard before your date to make up for all the bullying I'll miss while you're gone."

Sunkist whines. She's gonna miss him, too.

"Next time we can plan something for all of us so you won't have to miss out on- on any bullying."

Benry gives him a flash of a genuine smile that quickly shifts into an evil little smirk. "That's Next time. Now time is  _ bully _ time."

* * *

Tommy takes a deep breath and knocks. He hears Darnold call out, "One second!" and some muffled shuffling noises before the door opens, and... Wow. If Tommy wasn't already head over heels for Darnold, he definitely would be  _ now _ . He's wearing dress pants and a cute little polka dot shirt with suspenders and a bow tie. He still has on his lab gloves, too - the same orange as the bow tie.

"Hi, Tuh- Tommy."

Tommy looks up at Darnold's face and realizes  _ he's _ looking down at Tommy's skirt. Or maybe at the socks. Maybe that  _ was _ a little too much… He rocks from heel to toe nervously. "Hi, Darnold."

Darnold looks up at the sound of Tommy's voice and smiles. "Hi, Tommy. I mean- I already said that. Uh, I meant…" Darnold looks down at Tommy's outfit again, fidgeting with his hands. "You look good. Your outfit, I mean. I mean also you, not just the outfit. I mean-" He cuts himself off with an embarrassed little chuckle. "I think I'm gay."

Tommy stares at him for a moment before doubling over with laughter. "I think- I think I'm gay, too," he wheezes out, grinning back up at Darnold. "Thank god, because you're the- the- the most handsome man I've ever seen."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I can't say for certain, 'cause I haven't seen all- every single man, but… you are probably the most handsome in the whole world!"

Darnold smiles at him. Yep, definitely most handsome. Number two cool after Josh, but Number One handsome. "You're sweet, Tommy."

Tommy's cheeks heat up, and he blurts out, "I love you."

"I love you, too!"

"Can I kiss you?"

Darnold blinks at him and nods, "Y-yeah."

Tommy reaches up and places his hands on Darnold's cheeks, leaning forward to press their lips together. Darnold's hands move to hold onto Tommy's wrists, keeping him close. And then he kisses him again. And again. Tommy's eyes flutter back open when Darnold pulls away slightly and quietly says, "We should probably leave, don't wanna be late."

"But I wanna kiss you again. :("

Darnold laughs and pulls Tommy's hands away from his face, only to lace their fingers together. "You'll just have to kiss me  _ after _ the date."

* * *

They're led to a booth and sit down across from each other, menus being placed in front of them. Someone comes by to get their drink orders - both ask for Dr. Pepper - and they're left alone to look over the menu.

They had already agreed on what to order before they came, so Tommy stands his menu up on the table and hunches over behind it, peeking over the top at Darnold, who covers his mouth and laughs quietly at him. Darnold copies him, propping up his menu as well. Tommy giggles.

They dick around like this for a minute or two until a waiter comes to take their order and, unfortunately, also the menus.

Tommy leans back and stretches his legs out under the table, accidentally bumping his foot on Darnold's. Darnold raises an eyebrow and gently nudges his foot back. Tommy starts lazily tapping his shoe against Darnold's to some sort of beat. Just out of boredom. Darnold smiles at him.

"Hey, can we…" Darnold lays a hand on the table, palm up, and looks at Tommy expectantly. He sits up straighter and places his hand on top of Darnold's. His gloves have a nice texture to them.

"Why'd you wear the- your gloves out? I mean- you don't have to tell me or- or anything, they look nice, I was just wond- just curious."

"Oh! Um, I don't know, I'm normally fine without them when we hang out. I guess I was just nervous since this is like, our first Planned Date, and… needed a comfort thing?"

Tommy nods, rubbing his thumb along the glove. "Are you still nervous?"

"A little. Not as bad anymore, but…"

"Me too."

Darnold taps their shoes together again and smiles at him. Tommy smiles back. The waiter clears their throat and the two jump, quickly jerking their hands apart and leaning back so the waiter can set their food on the table. 

Tommy starts breathing again once the waiter leaves, glancing back at Darnold. They hold eye contact for a moment before Darnold snorts and puts his hand back on the table. Tommy laughs and holds Darnold's hand again. Sure, eating is a little more difficult with only one hand, but they are both up to the challenge. Plus, it's only pizza. Easily a one-handed meal.

They don't let go until it's time to leave, and then it's only to clean up the table and slip out of the booth before they tangle their fingers together again.

Tommy swings their connected arms on the way back to Darnold's house, as they make plans for something they can do with Benry and Sunkist. Maybe they could go to the park? To the movies? To McDonald's? Darnold could come over to their house, or they could all come visit Darnold? Darnold seems to like that idea, says that he doesn't have guests much besides Tommy.

"Dr. Freeman has visited a couple times. And Dr. Bubby visited once to ask about my rocket boots. I think he genuinely wanted to see me but used that as an excuse."

"We should start having b-  _ big _ group hang outs. It's been a while since everyone's been together all at the same time…"

"Maybe  _ that _ could be a trip to the park."

"Yeah! That's good, because," Tommy raises his arm up, pulling Darnold's along with it, "no building can handle the Science Team!"

They both laugh, and Darnold lets go of Tommy's hand to unlock the door. Wow, they're at his house already? Darnold turns back around to face Tommy once he gets the door open. "Well, uh, today was really fun." He smiles.

"Yeah." Tommy smiles back.

"It's… it's after the date, if you wanna…" 

If he wants to… Oh!

"Oh! Yes, I want to!"

Darnold chuckles as Tommy tugs him close by his suspenders. He rests his hands on Tommy's waist, just where his shirt tucks into his skirt. Tommy gently lets Darnold's suspenders snap against his chest as he moves his hands to cup Darnold's face. And they both lean in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, to dress up in your fancy clothes and go to a fancy restaurant with your date only to order a Pizza... [sighs dreamily]
> 
> also if anyone has date or hang out ideas leave a comment! this fic has literally no plot and is just me getting out my cheesy feelings so if u wanna see something specific its not gonna Break The Nonexistent Plot =P

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, i have a crush on Darnold. Yes, i am projecting this onto Tommy. Yes, i am gay.
> 
> i will add more chapters at some point! not sure when but whoo do i want to write more. let me know if you have feedback or anything! i draw more than i write so i'm not sure how easy this is to read...
> 
> <3


End file.
